Being there (when the world comes crashing down around you)
by xJordanKayX
Summary: This is the story all Falice shippers have been waiting for. My attempt at fixing the writers' mistake and not giving us any FP/Alice feels in the latest Episode. ! THIS TAKES PLACE DURING AND RIGHT AFTER 2x21 SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET, I WARNED YOU ! Chapter 1 is FP being there when the BH is captured. Chapter 2 is the aftermath of what happened to Jughead
1. FP

He hears the rumor going around the Whyte Wyrm and even though it's still nothing more than just that - a rumor - he drops what he's doing and is out the door before anyone can even notice he's leaving. He grabs the helmet from one of the tables on his way out, not caring if it's even his. There's no time to waste.

He has no idea where or how the rumor got started, but that doesn't matter either. All he knows it that Betty and Alice * could * be in danger and it gets his feet moving. He'd probably feel stupid later if this turns out to be nothing but talk, but he can't risk it. His son's girlfriend and the love of his life might be trapped in the same house as the Black Hood. His son is nowhere to be found, so he's more confident that there could be some truth to all that, because the boy probably is with Betty and Alice. Or is at least waiting impatiently in front of their house for the police to do their jobs.

But when it comes to Alice, he gets rid of dead bodies to keep her out of trouble, so really the fact that all this could not be true and she's home safe with her daughter and her husband does not keep him from rushing to her side to confirm everything is okay.

And she's been with him not so long ago. It had been only one night, before he screwed it up, but adultery is adultery. It makes her a sinner in the eyes of the Black Hood just as much as he should be considered one for all he's done. And Betty had been involved in the cover up of the drug dealer's murder and yes, * that's * a sin, too. So no, there really is no time to wait around until someone comes in and tells him nothing has happened, when it just so easily could have.

The drive to their house feels like he's driving for hours and it seems to drag on and on. He's flooring the gas pedal on his bike, ditching remnants of the earlier riots, head completely somewhere else. He almost runs over a few lonely people cleaning up the streets but he can't and won't spare a thought on them. His one and only objective is to get to Betty and Alice and, hopefully, his son before something bad happens.

His worst fears are confirmed when he rounds the corner into their street and the place before their house is lined with police cars and curious onlookers. Something is definitely not right there. But what shocks him the most is seeing Hal Cooper being led in handcuffs from the house and into a police car. He's never liked the man, but he'd never pictured him to be a psychotic serial killer either. He looks on for a moment longer, killing the engine of his bike and taking off his helmet. He can actually see the hatred in the other man's eyes for coming to rush to his wife's side, and if Hal weren't arrested right this moment FP's sure he'd be his next target.

When he turns towards the house, Alice and Betty are on the steps, his son nowhere in sight. The girl is looking after her father and FP can't place the expression on her face. Alice however is looking directly at him, and the expression on her face is as clear as day. Relief, security, a flicker of happiness to see him. That's all he needs to see before making his way across the lawn towards her. She wants him here, is grateful that he showed up and, maybe the most important, even with all the police surrounding her, she hadn't felt * safe * without him here. It's silly, but he can't help but feel a flicker of pride that after all these years he's still (again?!) the one she wants to come to when she's sad or scared or in trouble.

He walks right up to her, ignoring the curious looks and the attempts by the police to stop him from approaching the house. She's way too shook up to smile, but her eyes do and it's the most wonderful thing he thinks he's ever seen - her safe and unharmed and happy to see him. He folds her into his arms immediately, crushing her to his chest and she wraps her arms around his back, holding on like she's sinking and he's the only thing keeping her above water right now. And it's probably true, too. He presses his face into her hair, just to be even closer to her, while she's silently crying against his shoulder. It takes him back to just a few days ago, when they had been in a similar position, but under completely different circumstances.

He lifts his head, opens his eyes and shares a brief look with Betty over her mother's shoulder, to make sure the girl is okay, too. He still has no idea why his son isn't here, because he's not home or at the Wyrm either, but he's determined to be a lifeline for both of them until Jughead hears about what happened. But Betty just gives him a shaky nod to tell him she's fine and that he should do what he does and be there for her mom and he wants to argue that she's not fine and that she needs comfort just as much as Alice does and then Archie Andrews shows up and he's never been so glad to see the boy in all his life.

Alice has stopped crying while he's been in a silent argument with Betty, but she's still not prepared to let go of him. He doesn't plan to either, but he needs to see her face, needs to know she's good, and so he draws back just enough to keep her arms around his waist and look into her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he whispers, hands framing her face, brushing a few stray tears from her cheeks with his thumb. Of course she's * not * ok, she's just found out her husband is a serial killer and has tried to harm her and her daughter, but what he means is if she's hurt. Because if he's managed to hurt her, FP swears he's driving down to the sheriff station and kill Hal Cooper himself.

"Yea…" she answers quietly, and she means physically and they both know it. Then she averts his gaze for only a second, before looking back into his eyes. She's never been brave enough to admit when she needs help, but this time she won't hide from him. "No, but I will be" And this time she means emotionally and they both know it, too. She'll tell him the whole story later, when she's found the courage to ask if she can spend the night at his trailer, because she can't stay at her house tonight, or maybe even ever. She reaches up to kiss his cheek and before she pulls back completely, she brushes her lips against his briefly in thanks and a silent promise to talk about everything - really everything - later.

He pulls her into his arms again and just holds her, convincing himself that she is truly okay. Every now and then he's placing small kisses against her throat and she clings to him ever tighter with every caress, because she hasn't felt so safe and protected in a long time.

When Betty's phone rings they are so wrapped up in their own little bubble, that they don't even realize it until the girl picks up. And they probably wouldn't have then either, if it hadn't been so obvious who's calling her.

"Jug?" He's glad to hear word of his son, even if it's just through a overheard phone call. Alice, too has her ear on the conversation now. She's been wondering where the boy is herself.

"Betty, I'm happy to hear your voice" And of course neither of them can hear his side of the conversation, but judging by the girl's face, it's really him on the phone. She looks more at ease than before, even though she's of course still shaken up.

"Me too, Jug. You have no idea" Alice is not sure, but she might even have seen a little attempt a smile at hearing the boy's voice.

"I just wanted to let you know that I love you" And it's gone. Whatever he's said must have been pretty out of the ordinary. "I'll never stop loving you"

"What are you saying, Jug?" By now she has the adults' full attention but she won't be distracted from her phone call. Both their respective parents are trying their hardest to get any information about what's going on out of the girl, but she's too scared of what Jughead might be up to to even notice. "Where are you?" It's a last attempt to figure out what's going on, but she should have known that she will not get an answer.

"I'll see you soon" And then the line's dead and Betty turns around, face pale, to stare at the adults. She knows she's supposed to tell them what just happened, to make sure someone is going out to look for the boy she loves and talk him out off whatever crazy stunt he's planning. But she can't really form the words. Not yet. Her throat closes up and she can't really deal with all this - first her father and now Jughead and all of it in the span of an hour.

"Elizabeth, what's going on?" Her mother's voice arrives in her ears as if through a thick layer of cotton and she can barely make out the words. Archie's hand on her shoulder is comforting but doesn't really help at all.

"Betty, what did he say? Where is he, is he okay?" She doesn't hear FP any better, but this time she forces the words out of her dry throat.

"He told me how much he loved me and it almost sounded like he was saying goodbye for good" And it's just too much for the girl. She collapses into her mother's arm and really cries for the first time since finding out the truth about her father. She only vaguely registers FP taking out his phone and she has no idea who's number he's dialling or what he's saying. All she cares about is finding Jughead and praying that he's alright.

"Toni, where was Penny hiding out?" Alice makes eye contact with him over her daughter's head, and even though she's been completely out off the loop in that regard, she instinctively knows that the boy could be and probably is in serious trouble. And she'll be there for the two of them, just like he's come to her when she needed him.


	2. Alice

She rides in the back of her own car, her daughter still in her arms, FP in the driver's seat. He'd been about to leave the two women by themselves, told them they are more than welcome to pack a few things and stay at the trailer, but right now he needed to make sure his son was okay and did not just do something incredibly stupid like he feared. He had dropped a kiss onto Alice's lips without even thinking, promised Betty that he would find Jughead and that everything will be okay, and then Alice grabbed him by the hand, lacing their fingers together and told him in no uncertain terms that he will not be going anywhere without them.

He'd come to her side when she didn't even know that his face is everything she needed to see to make the revelation of her husband being a serial killer a bit more bearable. She is not planning on letting him go through his problems alone now. Not ever, if he's willing to give her a second chance.

Alice had sent him into the house to collect her keys. For one, she was not ready to get back into the house she's shared with her husband just yet, and she was still comforting a pretty distraught Betty. For a moment she couldn't help thinking about how messed up both their lives really are, and she had prayed, that at least Polly is doing okay now, wherever she is. When FP had come back, he'd put an arm around Alice's shoulder, leading both women to the car in the driveway. He would have taken his bike, he would have been faster and maybe the air rushing around him would have helped clear his mind a little, but with both Alice and Betty refusing to stay behind (and who could blame them really?), the car was the only option.

He had tried handing over the keys to Alice, but she had refused, ushering him into the driver's seat and climbing in the back with her daughter. The girl had still been clinging to her, but she had stopped crying, because nothing had actually happened yet. For all she knew, Jughead could be perfectly fine and on his way home and he really just wanted to make sure Betty was alright. And so, FP is driving as best as he can with one hand, the other one laced with Alice's on his right shoulder, to the spot Toni had described.

To Alice, it feels like an eternity, and she thinks this is what he must have felt like driving to her house just thirty minutes earlier. And when he finally pulls the car to a stop, they are surrounded by serpents, all waiting for FP. She's heard him on the phone telling them to stay put, but of course they wouldn't – she'd bee here too if she were them.

Betty is out of her arms and in the consoling embrace of Toni and Cheryl, and if the circumstances weren't like they are, she'd have questioned the sight of the Blossom girl among the Southside serpents. But there's no time for that now, because they all look incredibly worried and Jughead is not around. She'd still had hopes of finding him with the others, that they would have gotten to him before anything happened to him – that they had arrived before her and FP and Betty and had talked the boy out of doing something stupid. And by the way his face falls, FP had exactly the same hope.

She grabs his hand again for comfort and he pulls her into his side without question, incredibly glad she's here with him. She ignores the curious looks, it's no time to question * her * presence here either. They have to find Jughead.

She's only half listening when he shares a few words with his fellow serpents, and then she suddenly feels him stiffen against her body. The hand in which he's still holding hers tightens almost painfully for a second, but she doesn't care. When she looks up at him, she can see his focus lies somewhere to the side; he's staring in the darkness where bushes and grass are hiding the view. He lets go of her then, and she reluctantly gives free his hand. She'd rather he stay with her, or take her with him, because yes, she's afraid. Not only afraid of what they might find when they find his son, but also for him and what could happen should they not be as alone as it seems to be at the moment. But the only thing she does is watch him make his way towards the growing darkness and she wants to call for him, tell him to come back, tell him to be careful, but she can't say a single word. A hand slips into each of hers, holding on tightly, and the comfort is so appreciated, that at first she doesn't even care who it is. Then she glances to her left and right, for only just a brief second because she needs to keep her focus on FP, and it's her daughter on one side and Cheryl Blossom (with her other hand laced with Toni's) on the other. She's never known she needed this, but they were a family now, which seemingly includes the teenage serpent and her girlfriend, too.

The appreciative smile she sends at Cheryl vanishes from her lips when she hears Betty take in a sharp breath and turning her head back forward, Alice can make out FP's form coming back from the dark. And he seems to be carrying something – something that, even without the light, looks suspiciously like an unmoving human body. The closer he gets, the clearer it becomes that, yes, what he's having in his arms is the unconscious body of his son. All around her, the teenagers are making their way towards the two Jones men, worry, sadness, grief, disbelief, all shown prominently on their faces. But Alice can't move – the only thing she can do is stare wide eyed at the scene. This is exactly the thing she had wanted to avoid by leaving the Southside and by keeping her daughters away from there. But was sparing herself and Betty * this * heartache really better than what she'd gone through the last twenty-five years? The answer is no, and as much as it hurts seeing the boy like that, she's glad both her and Betty are here tonight.

Her daughter's heart-wrenching sobs and FP's pain-stricken face is all she notices as she finally moves. She's next to him in only a few steps, two of the younger serpents stepping away to let her through and it brings even more tears to her eyes. She and Betty, they belong, with the serpents and with the Jones', and nobody is questioning that.

He hasn't taken his eyes of the lifeless form of his son, staring at the spot Betty has put her hand over Jughead's heart, but when Alice steps beside him and wraps her arm around his waist, he meets her eyes briefly, telling her how much he needs her here. They all take a long time, maybe longer than they should given the situation, to process what they are looking at, nobody moving or saying anything. Then it's Cheryl who breaks the silence in a quiet whisper.

"Is he breathing?" It's the question they have all been afraid to ask, but they all knew somebody had to eventually.

FP shakes his head, tears running down his cheeks, while Alice moves even closer, giving him all the comfort she can. She knows it's not much she can do, and she knows that she will not be able to heal his loss in a matter of minutes, but she hopes it's at least something.

"His heart's still beating" Betty answers the question in words. "Barely, but it's there" And there is an actual little smile on her lips for the merest of moments. A beating heart means he might make it.

Then everything happens so fast Alice can't even really say what's going on and who is doing what. She finds herself in the driver's seat of her car, Betty next to her, FP holding his son in his lap in the back. Somehow, Cheryl and Toni are sharing the last bis of free space next to the two men and Alice has no idea how any of them ended up in her car. She has no recollection of moving, of getting in, but she's not wasting time now. She starts the engine and drives to the hospital as fast as she can. Toni is on the phone, calling ahead, and Alice can't help the little smirk at hearing the girl threatening whoever's on the other line with physical violence should they not be ready for him when they arrive.

Pulling up in front of the hospital finally, no one is surprised to see staff rushing towards them with a gurney and medical supplies – Toni had sounded pretty convincing and scary. FP lifts his son onto the gurney and it takes Alice to get him to let the doctors wheel him away and into surgery. He wraps her in his arms, buries his head in her hair and cries and she lets him put all his grief and pain on her, because that's what you do for the people you love.

The teenagers are waiting for them in the waiting area, when they finally make their way inside. He's asked for news at the front desk and had been told that it's too early to have heard anything, but still he asks the girls if they had seen any doctor yet. They haven't either and it drives all of them crazy, but at least no news yet means he's still alive. Because that's what he had been when they had arrived. Beaten up and unconscious, but alive. And that's really all that matters right now.

He slumps into one of the uncomfortable seats next to Betty and pulls Alice down onto his lap. She comes willingly, makes herself as comfortable as possible and just holds him. She doesn't say anything, doesn't tell him it's going to be alright, because she can't know that and empty platitudes have never been anything she has been a fan of. She tangles the hand that is not slung around his neck with her daughter's beside her, and a quick look in that direction confirms what she had been thinking – Cheryl and Toni have taken up a similar position on the blonde's other side.

Five hours, that's how long it takes before they finally get word of Jughead. Neither of them had moved an inch during that time, no matter how many times the nurses have tried to send them home for a while, or at least to get a coffee or something. The doctor explains everything as thoroughly and best as he can, making sure they know he might be out of surgery and breathing mostly on his own, but he was not yet completely out off the woods yet. He also hasn't woken up yet, but that doesn't stop FP from wanting to see him. The doctor allows him a few minutes with his son, but that won't cut it, he tells the physician. The five of them are his family, and they will all go in and see him right now and at the way his face twists in pain when he stumbles over the words, the doctor doesn't have the heart to argue.

Betty rushes to the bed immediately, taking one of the lifeless hands in her own, kissing his bruised cheek softly. Cheryl and Toni take up position by the foot of the bed, and FP moves to his son's other side, taking hold of the boy's other hand. Alice is pulled into his side again, and she doesn't really want to be anywhere else, she just hasn't been sure if she was supposed to intrude on this intimate moment.

But he's said it just minutes before and she had been thinking it also, they are family, no matter how dysfunctional and there is a lot to talk about, but one thing is also pretty clear. They would get through this, together, and in the end, they would be stronger for it.


End file.
